Distending device for uniform caps and the like



G. DUDLEI, JR 3,076,199

DISTENDING DEVICE FOR UNIFORM CAPS AND THE LIKE Filed Jan.-5, 1959 3Sheets-Sheet 1 TIG- 5 7 INVENTOR: 1 Ge oaqe Dual 10 5915,

BY ATToRr Y,

Feb. 5, 1963 G. DUDLEY, 'JR 3,076,199

DISTENDING DEVICE FOR UNIFORM CAPS AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 5, 1959 TIE-E1- s sheet s sheet 2 FIG. 7-

INVENTOR:

Gem ye ,Dudh/ay, (fr,

Feb. 5, 1963 r z a. DUDLEY, JR 9 DISTENDING DEVICE FOR UNIFORM CAPS ANDTHE LIKE Filed Jan. 5, 1959 TIE- 15- 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR:

George fludlfiy, Ji,

United States Patent 3,076,199 DISTENDING DEVICE FOR UNIFORM CAPS ANDTHE LIKE George Dudley, Jr., Reading, Pa., assignor to The Narrow FabricCompany, a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Jan. 5, 1959, Ser. No.784,929 1 Claim. (Cl. 2-195) This invention relates to distendingdevices of the grommet type which are adapted to be incorporated inuniform caps or the like for the purpose of maintaining the crown edgeformation thereof trim and neat in shape and appearance.

One object of my invention is to provide a novel device of the typeindicated which can be readily embodied in a uniform cap or the like soas to distend the cap crown edge formation thereof, thereby to eifectthe usual shape-maintaining and neat appearance results, and whichdevice has cooperatively associated therewith special means arranged sothat the device will additionally accomplish a new, useful and desirableresult.

Another object is to provide such a device which functions to preventthe kinking or unsightly distortion of the cap crown edge formation whenthe latter is accidentally bumped against an object to a certain dentingextent or otherwise subjected to a more or less severe distorting forceor blow.

A further object is to provide such a device which has certainstructural and functional features of advantage over the similar devicesof the prior art.

An additional object is to provide such a device in the form of a unitcomprising a substantially ring-shaped body member that islongitudinally resilient and when in normally expanded condition is ofsuch size or diameter that it can be contractedly mounted within auniform cap or the like, in adjacent relation with the crown edgeformation thereof, so that said member will exert a certaindistendingpressure against the cap crown edge formation and thereby maintain itsappearance trim and neat under ordinary circumstances of use; inconjunction with auxiliary means that is cooperatively associated withsaid ring-shaped body member in such manner as to make the same, as wellas the adjacent cap crown edge formation, circumferenti'ally kink-proof,dent-proof or distortion-proof, particularly against any of the moresevere, or abnormal type cap edge kinking, denting, or distortion forcesexerted under certain accidental or other circumstances. j j

It is also an object to provide such a device in the form of an assemblywhich includes a substantially ringshaped hollow body member that isformed of a longitudinally resilient tubular material, such for exampleas ajstraight lengthwise resilient piece of tubular braided materialthatis circularly bent and has its free ends alignedly joined in anypractical manner, and which body member has floatingly arranged therein,in overlapping and self-adjustable manner, a flat elongated resilientstrip-like element that is formed, for example, of plastic material orthe like.

With these and other objects in view, which will become more readilyapparent from the following detailed description of the variousimprovements illustrated. and exemplified in the accompanying drawings,my invention comprises the novel device, unit, assembly, elements,features of construction and arrangement of parts in cooperativerelationship, as more particularly indicated and defined by the heretoappended claim.

In the drawings;

FIGURE 1 is atop plan view of one form of distending device of thegrommet type in accordan-e with my invention, the device beingschematically shown in full lines to illustrate its appearance inexpanded form and 3,076,199 Patented Feb. 5., 1963 the dot-and-dashlines indicating its reduction to a certain size when contracted.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an elevational sectional view, taken substantially asindicated by the arrows 3--3 on FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an elevational sectional view, taken substan tially asindicated by the arrows 4-4 on FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is an elevational sectional view, taken substantially asindicated by the arrows 55 on FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of one standard or conventional formof plain, or open mesh, lengthwise resilient tubular braided material ofthe type utilized in producing the device of FIG. 1, the componentfilaments, of the mesh formation being more or less schematicallyindicated as they appear when the material is in its expanded condition.

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the lengthwise resilient tubularbraided material shown in FIG. 6, but with the component filaments ofthe mesh formation more or less schematically indicated as they appearwhen the material is in its contracted condition.

FIG. 8 is an end elevational view of the lengthwise resilient tubularbraided material shown in FIG. 6, the component filaments thereof beingmore or less schematically indicated.

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of one form of resilient, flatstrip-like element of the type utilized in producing the device of FIG.1.

FIG. 10 is an end elevational view of the element shown in FIG.'9.

FIG. 11 is an elevational sectional view, similar to FIG. 5, butshowing, more or less schematically, a modified form of joint structurein accordance with my invention, and

FIG. 12 is an elevational sectional view, similar to FIG. 5, butshowing, more or less schematically, another modified form of jointstructure in accordance with my invention.

FIGURES 13 and 14 show the distending device as applied to a hat body.

It will facilitate an understanding of my invention to first brieflyconsider some of the more important aspects and phases thereof, so thatthese may be kept in mind when subsequently reading the detaileddescription of the practical improvements here involved and exemplifiedin the drawings.

Accordingly, it is pointed out that, to my knowledge, the prior artgrommet type distending devices heretofore provided for use with uniformcaps or the like, are all designed to serve only a single purpose,namely, to maintain the crown edge formation of the uniform cap trim andneat in shape and appearance under ordinary circumstances of use.That'is to say, when the cap is in ordinary use in the sense of notbeing exposed to certain unexpected conditions or developments, such forexample, as accidental bumping of the cap crown edge format-ion againstan object to such an extent that the cap crown edge formation will bepressed inwardly beyond a certain critical point where such distendingdevices are incapable of preventing the said edge formation frombecoming kinked, dented, or distorted in an unsightly manner. Thisdetrimental feature of the prior art distending devices has posed aproblem, particularly when it comes features over the similar prior artdevices, as will be apparent from the following detailed description.

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 thereof discloses one form ofpractical and illustrative distending or grommet device in accordancewith my invention which is generally identified by the letter D. Thisdevice comprises a hollow ring-shaped body member 1, having a resilientstriplike element 2 embodied therein so that the free ends thereof arein overlapping relation with each other, as shown at the left side inFlG. l. The element 2 is resiliently expanded so as to contactingly restagainst the inner side of the outer circumferential wall portion of thebody member 1 in free floating and self adjustable manner.

The body member 1 is preferably formed of a straight piece of tubularbraided material 4, of standard or conventional mesh design andconstruction, in which nylon or other relatively lengthwise stiff butlaterally bendable or resilient filaments, or strands 5, are interlacedover and under longitudinally extending cotton or other type filaments6, all in accordance with well known prior art braiding process and asproduced with the well known prior art braiding equipment, to effect atubular braided structure having a general outside appearance, whenexpanded, as more or less schematically indicated in FIG. 6 and havingthe general outside appearance when longitudinally contracted, as moreor less schematically indicated in FIG. 7.

To convert such a straight piece of tubular braided material into aring-shaped distending unit or assembly, as shown in FIG. 1, a straightpiece of such tubular braided material of the proper length has firstinserted therein the straight laterally resilient element 2, and themember 1 is then circularly bent so as to bring the free ends thereofinto axially aligned abutting relationship with each other, with theelement 2 arranged therein in endwise overlapping relation. The abuttingends of the member 1 are then joined in any convenient and practicalmanner, as by overlappingly winding around the outside of such ends apiece of adhesive fastening tape 7, as more particularly shown in FIGS.1, 2, 4 and 5.

The strip element 2, which is shown by itself in FIGS. 9 and 10, ispreferably, but not necessarily formed of a suitable plastic, cellulose,or other type sheet material having the property of being laterallyresilient so that when inserted into the member 1 and circularly bentinto overlapping, floating and self-adjustable relation within thetubular body member 1, a shown in FIG, 1, the circular strip element 2will tend to expand and thereby reinforcingly exert an expansion force,or outward pressure along the entire inner surface of the outer wallportion of the member 1, where the upper and lower edges of the strip 2contact with said surface, as indicated in FIGS. 3 and 4.

If desired, the joint between the free ends of the circularly bentmember 1, may be formed as illustrated by FIG. 11, or FIG. 12. FIG. 11shows one free end portion 1 of the member 1 in normally expandedcondition and the other free end portion l thereof somewhat lengthwisestretched so as to reduce its diameter and thereby facilitate itsinsertion into the end portion 1 to thereby establish an interconnectedfrictional joint.

FIG. 12 shows the free end portion 1 of the m mber 1, in endwiseabutting relation with the free end portion 1 of the member 1 and bothsaid end portions contactingly arranged against the outer surface of acolla or sleeve element 8. The circular element, collar or sleeveelement 8 is formed of a plastic material having substantially the samequalities and characteristics of the nylon or other filaments of whichthe braided tubular member 1 is formed, so that by the application ofheat and pressure, the ends of the portions 1 and 1 which arecontactingly arranged against the outer surface of the collar 8, can beunited to form an integral joint in the usual manner followed whenapplying heat and pressure to such plastic materials so as to effecttheir integration or heat fused connection.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the grommet type distending device D is shown in fulllines substantially as it appears when in its normally and freelyexpanded condition and the dot-and-dash lines in FIG. 1 indicate thediameter, or size, of the device D when it is contracted for insertionand seating or mounting in the cap crown edge formation 9 of a standardor conventional uniform cap C, as indicated in FIGS. 13 and 14. The saidcap crown edge formation 9, as usual, has a somewhat semi-circularcrosssectional configuration and forms a circular seat for the device D,as clearly shown. If desired, the device D, after being contractedlyseated in the cap crown edge formation 9, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14,may be fastened in place in the usual manner of the prior art practice.For example, it may be attached internally at the front of the cap tothe vertical wall or reinforcing portion of the latter by any suitablemeans (not shown) heretofore devised for attaching Similar prior artgrornmet type devices to uniform caps.

When the device D is contractedly seated, or mounted, as shown andindicated, the device D will exert a distending force outwardly againstthe inner surface of the cap crown edge formation 9, so as to constantlymaintain the latter trim and neat in shape and appearance. Thedistending pressure exerted by the device -D is mainly due to thelongitudinally resilient construction of the body member 1. However, ifthe cap crown edge formation 9 is accidentally, suddenly, or quicklybumped against an object, or otherwise dented, or distorted, to anextent which will, for example, inwardly curve the cap crown edge, asindicated by the dot-and-dash line B in FIG.

' 13, the circular laterally resilient strip-like element 2 of thedevice D will function somewhat like a circular fiat spring band, orhoop, when indented in like manner and will function to yield inwardlyand then immediately push back the dented portion of the member '1 aswell i as the adjacent den-ted cap edge portion, in outward direction,and thereby restore the cap crown edge formation 9 to its originalcircular trim shape and appearance. In this manner the cap crown edgeformation 9 will be constantly kept dent-proof, kink-proof, ordistortion-proof by the device D, when said edge formation is pressedinwardly beyond the critical point where the member 1, by itself, cannotfunction to effectively counteract or overcome the indicated type capedge kinking, denting, or distorting pressures.

It is to be understood that the longitudinally resilient tubular braidformation of the member 1, as illustrated in crossed line mannerthroughout the various figures of the drawings, is to be considered asschematically indicative of the various conventional types of the priorart tubular braided materials that are longitudinally resilient andsuitable for use in constructing the device D as herein explained. 7

Of course, it will be apparent to those skilled in this art, that thevarious novel and unique improvements specifically shown and describedcan be changed and modified in various ways, without departing from theinventive subject matter herein disclosed, the scope of which is moreparticularly indicated and defined by the hereto appended claim.

I claim:

A distending device for uniform caps and the like comprising; a maindistending ring that is formed of a lengthwise easily extendible andcompressible resilient tubular braided material in such manner that thewall formation of the ring is circularly continuous and effects acompletely hollow ring interior; and an auxiliary ring that is entirelycontained within said main ring interior and formed of a flat strip oflaterally resilient plastic material of such length that the free endsthereof are positionable in adjacently overlapping relation with eachother, thereby to afford self-adjusting circular expansionof theauxiliary ring against the internal surface of the References Cited inthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Taylor July 28, 1908Grunig et al July 6, 1915 Nixon Jan. 10, 1928 6 De Boer Aug. 15, 1950SerVaas Apr. 20, 1954 Carvell Oct. 9, 1956 Nailler et a1. May 10, 1960FOREIGN PATENTS Austrailia July 18, 1946 France June 3, 1953

